


Spark of Interest

by itbeajen



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Action, F/M, One Shot, Pokemon Battle, Romantic Interest, tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 07:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13946907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itbeajen/pseuds/itbeajen
Summary: He’s been asking for a more interesting Pokemon match. He didn’t think that he’d end up so interested in you as a result though.Because clearly, a Pokemon match is the best scenario to check out your opponent-Wait, what?





	Spark of Interest

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any characters that are mentioned. I am not making any profit from this fic and I write purely for the love of the characters. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo.

Sometimes being the last gym leader meant that there were no interesting challengers around. Usually it’s because they were weeded out of the competition in the earlier gyms, or they suffered a complete loss to him.

Volkner sighed as he walked around Sunyshore City. It was peaceful as always, but that also means boredom on his behalf. As great as it was to see people happy with the improvements brought by his hobby of tinkering with technology, he was also extremely bored of having nothing else to do.

“Oi, Volkner!”

His Raichu that was walking beside him stopped and cried out its name, catching his trainer’s attention. Volkner glanced down only for the electric-type to nod back towards a certain loud red-head.

“Dude, I’ve been calling your name since I saw you leave the gym and you just kept walking,” Flint complained. Volkner sheepishly scratched the back of his head and apologized, albeit half-heartedly. He tilted his head slightly though at the crumpled letter in his hand and asked, “What’s that?”

“The one thing you’ve been ignoring for the past few days. The Battle Frontier has been asking you to participate in an exhibition match to celebrate their grand opening.”

“And why me?”

“Well, we need people. And besides, there are some pretty renown challengers competing, some of them have beat the Elite Four before too.”

“Heh,” Volkner drawled out a slightly amused scoff and asked, “When is it?”

 _I knew that’s all he’d need to be interested!_ Flint smiled and announced, “In a week, you better be there, you punk.”

“Yeah, sure.”

***

“[Name]?” Volkner frowned at the unfamiliar name and photo of his next opponent. He had to admit, the exhibition tournament held by the Battle Frontier was full of surprises. He had expected well known trainers, but to think he’d be facing gym leaders from other regions and even some Elite Four members left him desiring more and more.

Flint glanced at the name and his eyes widened, “Ahh!!! I know them!”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah!” Flint frantically pulled out his phone and after a bit of scrolling he finally pulled up your name and profile. “She’s from Kanto and has challenged every gym in every region’s she’s gone to.”

“Yet not ours apparently,” Volkner shrugged as Flint continued to ramble about your accomplishments and history. He couldn’t help but be slightly intrigued at what your past had to say about you, but instead he asked, “So, has she won?”

“I think so?”

Volkner weakly glared at Flint and the latter shrugged, “Not too sure, I think she fought against Candice, and speaking of Candice there she is with Maylene. Hey Candice!”

The Ice-Type gym leader of Snowpoint City looked away from Maylene, and both girls waved at the two males as they approached.

“Hi Volkner, hi Flint, how are you two doing?”

“Same,” Volkner grunted and asked, “How was your match?”

“Always straight to the point aren’t you?” Candice sighed and after shaking her head fondly she smiled, “It was a beautiful loss.”

“A beautiful loss?” Flint questioned. Candice nodded and answered, “You’ll see once Volkner faces off against her. I promise you that it’ll be a match you’ll enjoy.”

“Really now?”

“You can bet on it.”

***

“This will be a 3-on-3 from both parties, is that understood?”

Both of you nodded and you glanced towards your opponent. Volkner was exactly like Candice had described. Apathetic, cold, and distant. _She didn’t mention that he was this handsome though._ You rolled your shoulder once and frowned slightly at the lack of interaction with him. He really didn’t seem like he wanted to be there, but whatever. _I’m just here because I needed the sponsorship to afford a trip to Sinnoh._

You unclipped your Pokeball from your waist and smirked. _But as soon as I’m done with this competition I’ll make sure to properly go through the gym leader challenge with a brand new team of Sinnoh based Pokemon, but as for now…_

“Both parties ready? … And, begin!”

“Go Jolteon!” Volkner called out. Your eyes widened slightly, but you smiled as you pulled your goggles and scarf up, “Let’s give them a show, Morra!”

Volkner had noticed the sudden equipping of the goggles and scarf, but he wasn’t prepared for the stream of sand that suddenly erupted alongside the appearance of your Tyranitar. The armor Pokemon roared its name and immediately you called out, “Keep ‘em grounded with an earthquake!”

“Jolteon, get away from it!” Volkner commanded as he shielded his eyes from the onslaught of sand. It was ridiculous how vicious the sand was as it encompassed the entirety of the stadium. You glanced up, thankfully the walls were high enough that it didn’t reach the audience, but you grinned upon seeing Jolteon stumble over itself as it tried to stay steady.

Morra roared once more and glanced at you. You shook your head. _Another earthquake wouldn’t do much except further damage the stadium. But…_ You glanced over to the Jolteon. It had a field of electricity surrounding it to minimize its contact with the fierce sandstorm. You pouted and mumbled, “Smart.”

_That Jolteon has speed superior to Morra. But… hmm, I can’t use long range attacks that require him to focus on a target since it’d likely dodge. Ah, that’s it!_

“Morra!”

Your Tyranitar screeched loudly in response, causing Volkner’s Jolteon to flinch. Volkner gritted his teeth and shouted, “Close in with a Quick Attack and follow up with a Double Kick!”

The Jolteon bravely followed out its orders, but as soon as it slammed into Tyranitar, you cried out, “Blast ‘em out of the way with a Dark Pulse!”

“Dodge it, climb atop and hit it with another Double Kick!”

You flinched upon seeing Tyranitar getting blinded with two kicks to its eyes. The armor pokemon cried out in frustration and pain, and before you could command it to do anything, it thrashed about launching the Jolteon into the air.

Your eyes widened as you noticed it charging a hyper beam and you demanded, “Morra, stop! You’re already confused, boy!”

At the sound of your voice, the Tyranitar halted its beam and wobbled slightly as it tried to regain its senses. You frowned, but as you saw the Jolteon approaching you whined, “Ah geez. Morra! I hate to be so repetitive, but just slam it down with an earthquake!”

Tyranitar abided to your commands and shook the entirety of the stadium, causing the crowd to panic ever so slightly as they felt their seats shake to the tremendous power of your Tyranitar. Jolteon stumbled, ever so slightly and as it did you shouted, “Finish it off with a hyper beam!”

The powerful beam of light hit the Jolteon spot on and sent it flying into the wall. A weak whimper is heard from it and you winced ever so slightly upon seeing the pain that was inflicted to it. Morra cried out weakly and you mumbled, “You did good boy.”

The sandstorm that had blocked majority of the vision slowly dissipated, leaving Morra in the field with a pile of sand. Volkner recalled his Jolteon and mumbled, “What prowess.”

He chuckled and patted his Jolteon’s pokeball ever so lightly and reassuring whispered, “You were great against your disadvantages, Jolteon.”

You steeled yourself for the next Pokemon, and your eyes widened in surprise when it wasn’t what you expected. “Come on out, Dedenne!”

“A Fairy-Type! Sho-”

“Play Rough, Dedenne!”

You didn’t quite understand how it was possible for such a small mouse to do so much damage, but you blame it on the type advantage as you watched your Tyranitar futilely fend off the antenna pokemon as it smacked Tyranitar over and over after it was already weakened from Jolteon. You clenched your fist and mumbled, “You did well, Morra.

“Return!” you called back. You glanced at the scoreboard, so far both of you had two Pokemon left and you sighed, “And I had thought your electric types would all just crumble before Morra, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Is that how you beat Candice? Overpowering her with a type advantage?”

You smirked, “Well, it’s always handy to know the specific types that you guys specialize in. But I suppose I should have seen this coming.”

“Not all of us are easily overwhelmed, and besides,” Volkner paused and smiled, “I’m not Sinnoh’s 8th gym leader for no reason.”

You found yourself surprised at how appealing he looked from just smiling and you shook your head frantically. _I cannot be having these thoughts now of all times._ You felt the rush of heat to your cheeks, but ignored it as you took off your goggles to leave them hanging around your neck. Volkner could see and feel the confidence from just the slight change in stature and you answered, “Well then, I hope you’ll prove it to me why you’re the 8th gym leader! Let’s go, Umbra!”

A dark type? Volkner guessed. But upon seeing the fast moving shadow approaching his Dedenne, he called out, “Dedenne, U-Tur-”

“Don’t let it escape! Flank it with a Mean Look, and stop it with a Lick!”

Gengar’s shadow approached the Dedenne with a shocking speed and as soon as it materialized into its physical form, the sinister grin combined with the slight maniacal chuckle it had caused the smaller electric type to turn to stone upon sight of it. Volkner cursed under his breath and shouted, “Charge Beam!”

“Yeah, right! Umbra, Sucker Punch it!”

Gengar pulled its arm back before slamming its fist across the Dedenne, sending it tumbling away. Volkner flinched and called out, “Rest!”

 _Wait, shit!_ Volkner regretted his command as soon as he saw the smirk on both yours and Gengar’s faces.

“What. A. Mistake,” you sang and answered, “Let’s give Dedenne some sweet dreams, shall we?”

Gengar chuckled, and the ominous mass of black shadows that suddenly rushed into Dedenne caused the antenna pokemon to shiver in its sleep. Volkner cursed, “Nightmares, huh?” _I can’t use Sleep Talk… but… I should be fine if Dedenne manages to wake up like she normally does._

“Don’t fall to those nightmares, Dedenne! They’re only a figment of your imagination!”

“Oho?” you smiled as Dedenne struggled in its sleep. Your smile is quickly dropped and you glanced at your Gengar. Umbra glanced at you while hovering slightly over Dedenne, slightly mocking the electric type as it attempted to heal its hp while simultaneously losing it as Gengar ate away at its dreams.

“Umbra, finish it off with a Poison Jab!” you commanded. Gengar’s lazy grin morphed into one of sheer terror as it stabs away the last bits of Dedenne’s HP. The electric type twitched ever so slightly and Gengar made its way back to your side and nuzzled its physical form against your leg to reassure you ever so slightly. Your knuckles were white from the tension and you let out a shaky breath of relief as Gengar tried its best to comfort you, to assure you that Dedenne would be fine.

Volkner on the other hand winced at seeing the pained expression on his Dedenne as he recalled it. I’ll have to make it up to her for such a reckless decision. His lips gently grazed against the top of Dedenne’s pokeball before clipping it back onto his belt. He unclipped his last one and rolled it around lightly before glancing at you. His eyes widened ever so slightly and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. _How cute. She actually feels bad. I guess she’s more than just an intense Pokemon Trainer._ There was an apologetic expression on your face and he shook his head, “There’s no need for you to look like that.”

“Eh?” your expression quickly shifted to one of confusion and he added, “You look like you killed someone.”

You flinched and he added, “You can apologize by losing this match, come on out Ampharos!”

Your eyes widened at his statement and you growled, “As if I would!”

“Ampharos, bulldoze!”

You and Umbra stumbled ever so slightly, but that was all Volkner needed for an opening and he pointed at the Gengar, “Slam it down with an Iron Tail!”

“Umbra, dematerialize!”

Though it was far too late as Umbra was slammed down onto the ground with a fierce Iron Tail. Your Gengar grunted as it regained its composure and you shouted, “Keep your distance, use Shadow Ball!”

Ampharos cried out and Volkner chuckled, “Two can play at that game! Ampharos, use Electric Terrain!”

 _Electric Terrain?_ Your eyes widened as a tingle of electricity shot through you and Gengar jolted ever so slightly. Both of you grimaced and you nodded to Umbra. Your Gengar glowed ever so slightly and you brought out your necklace before bringing it up to your lips and you whispered, “Mega-evolve for me, Umbra!”

Volkner’s eyes widened and he glanced to Ampharos who cried its name in response. He smiled and pulled out his respective mega-stone and declared, “Two can play at this game.”

The crowd cheered as light enveloped the stadium field. You glanced away ever so slightly, but as soon as the light faded, your Mega Gengar stood there in all of its glory and Volkner’s eyes widened. _It’s a shiny?_

The white Mega Gengar cackled ever so slightly as it stood before the now Mega-Ampharos. The Electric-Dragon cried out its name and immediately set to bulldoze the area around it. Umbra faltered ever so slightly, but you countered, “Hit Ampharos with a Dazzling Gleam, it’s a dragon-type now!”

Umbra nodded, and as it charged itself for the attack, Volkner responded, “It’s **right** there, Thunder Punch it!”

Your eyes widened, but Gengar heard the words before you could tell it to evade and it narrowingly dodged the electric infused punch, only to be hit with a pulse of draconic aura at point blank.

The shock wave of energy from Ampharos had blown the leftover sand from Morra’s beautiful introduction all over the stadium, causing you and Volkner to shield your vision from the onslaught of activity between the two mega-evolved Pokemon.

You slip your goggles back on, but when you finally get a good luck, you’re surprised to see Gengar un-evolved and treading between consciousness and unconsciousness. You bit your lower lip and called out, “You’ve done enough, Umbra!”

Although Umbra defiantly cried out against you, you shook your head and recalled it back its Pokeball. You gave his pokeball a kiss and whispered, “Sorry for pushing you too much, old friend.”

Ampharos cried out in triumph and you mumbled, “I still have one more.”

Volkner’s eyes narrowed in on the last pokeball on your belt. You unclipped it and after whispering something to it, you glanced up at Volkner, and slightly pouted, “You’re _nothing_ like what I expected.”

His eyes widened in slight surprise and he answered, “I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”

“Not at all,” you murmured mostly to yourself so he wouldn’t hear it. _Good looking and an amazing trainer? You were far more than what I expected._ You sighed at your thoughts, but quickly shook them away as you glanced down at your last Pokemon.

“You’ve been with me since the very beginning, let’s show them what we’ve got, Shinko!”

Your Espeon took the stage with more grace and elegance than your prior two, but it was to be expected when these three were your cornerstone trio when it came to the dark-ghost-psychic triangle. You smiled at the surprise on Volkner’s features and he asked, “An Espeon?”

“My most trusted companion, right girl?”

Espeon cried out its name in response and sent you a fond glance before steeling itself against the Mega-Ampharos. Ampharos was more than thrice its size, but you had faith in your starter pokemon. You glanced at her once more and shouted, “First! Get some distance from it while keeping it grounded with Psychic!”

Volkner didn’t think psychic would do much, it was just another attack. But when he saw Ampharos struggle to even take a step forward, his eyes widened in surprise and awe. _It takes years of experience for a psychic type to develop such intensity. She must have raised her Espeon with a lot of love.. And they must have gone through a lot together._ He found himself smiling despite the unfavorable odds and he chuckled, “You don’t want us to move? Fine, Charge up Ampharos!”

You frowned at the sudden rumbling in the formerly slightly cloudy sky and called out, “Watch out, Shinko! There’s an electric field all over the terrain still, so gather your energy for now okay?”

Espeon mewed a response and relaxed its psychic hold on Ampharos ever so slightly to divert its focus to gathering energy. It had a general idea of what you wanted to do. But it wasn’t entirely sure as it focused all its energy on the small red jewel on its forehead. Volkner glanced at Ampharos and then at Espeon. Ampharos was able to move forward now, but not at the speed that he would like it to. He bit back his order for it to release its ultimate move, but upon seeing the glint in Espeon’s eyes he ordered, “Release it! Use Thunder!”

Espeon’s eyes widened and you shouted, “Protect!”

 _Damn it!_ You grit your teeth in frustration. You were hoping to use Shinko’s stored energy for a stronger Dazzling Gleam, but now you’ve diverted all of it to protect her from the onslaught of thunderbolts and rain. Shinko whimpered ever so slightly and you mumbled, “It’s all or nothing.”

Your gaze flickered momentarily to Volkner who appeared to be smirking ever so slightly at what looked like an overwhelming victory. You frowned and shouted, “Close in with an Iron Tail!”

His eyes widened at the unconventional attack and Ampharos took the hit cleanly on its forehead. It cried out in pain and immediately launched a charge beam at Espeon who nimbly jumped out of the way. Your Espeon was starting to tire from just dodging all those electrical charges, but his Ampharos was tired from two consecutive battles. You glanced at Espeon and upon seeing the glint in her red jewel you ordered, “Blast ‘em, girl!”

Shinko cried out her name before releasing a powerful flash of light, blinding the Ampharos as it took the Dazzling Gleam at point blank. The rain suddenly subsided, almost as quickly as it had artificially formed from Ampharos’ control of the electricity in the air. You glanced up as crepuscular rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds and you commanded, “Shinko get to a spot of sunlight and use Morning Sun!”

Your Espeon wobbled ever so slightly as it got away from the Ampharos and healed itself. You sighed in relief as she looked far better than she was just a few moments ago and you warned, “Careful, Ampharos may still be up for battle.”

“No, you guys win,” Volkner stated as he got off the small challenger stages to approach his Ampharos. The light that encompassed it finally dissipated to reveal it back in its normal form. He gently rubbed its neck and he smiled, “You did well, girl. Take a break.”

It weakly cried its name before nuzzling his cheek softly. Volkner smiled and recalled it to its pokeball and you paused as you glanced between Volkner and your Espeon. Volkner gently pet your Espeon’s head and chuckled, “You guys won that one for sure. Congrats.”

***

“Hey!” you shouted as you left the arena and ran out of the stadium. You ignored the calls of your name by the media and you called out, “Volkner!”

The man looked back and his eyes widened upon seeing you sprinting towards him. You halted before him. You panted as you tried to catch your breath. You finally looked up at him, and there was a weak glare in your eyes and you stated, “You didn’t go full out.”

“I didn’t,” he confirmed your answer as though it meant nothing to him. Before you could accuse him of taking the battle half-heartedly he continued, “But you didn’t either.”

Your eyes widened and you took a step back and asked, “How do you know?”

“Only your Espeon is a part of your main team, right?” he asked as he glanced down to the Espeon that was sitting next to your feet. You glanced at your companion and back at him and mumbled, “How do you know that?”

“[Name]. Started her journey in Kanto. Earned all 8 gym badges and completed the Pokemon League challenge but refused to become a part of the Elite Four when offered. Traveled to Johto and repeated the process as you went to Hoenn. You ended up getting stranded on the Sevii Islands recently when you tried to ‘casually’ surf your way back to Kanto with nothing more than your backpack and a fishing rod.”

A sly smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched your cheeks flare red and he continued listing, “Never participates in tournaments because you dislike hurting Pokemon, but you enjoy the thrill of finding good trainers to battle which is why you travel the world challenging gyms with a team of Pokemon you catch from the local region.”

“You- You-” you sputtered and whined, “You read my profile?!”

“Well, Flint did, I just overheard him since we’re sharing a room.”

“I can’t believe him,” you grumbled and crossed your arms across your chest. The pout on your lips was absolutely adorable and Volkner chuckled, “He’s an irresponsible idiot who mouths off about anything if you even give him a chance, and what’d you expect when you answered so many interviews?”

“It’s not like they’d leave me alone otherwise!” you countered and sighed, “I’ll request a proper match at your gym once I get around to it.”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow at you and you glanced away, “Just because I beat you here means nothing if neither of us went full out, right Shinko?”

Your Espeon mewed and rubbed her cheeks against your leg. You reached down to pick her up and cradle her in your arms and you asked, “Is your Dedenne and Jolteon okay though?”

“They’re fine. Though I fear Dedenne may be slightly traumatized by your Gengar and Tyranitar.”

He noticed you flinched ever so slightly and he shook his head slightly, “She’ll be fine though. It’s clear that despite their intimidating presences, your pokemon are clearly well trained and loved.”

Your eyes widened and you smiled, “Of course! They’re my friends! But on another note, here you go.”

You handed him a basket of Pokepuffs and shifted your weight slightly to accommodate for Espeon’s sudden movement and you smiled, “For your Pokemon, as an apology for being rather uh… cruel and harsh during the battle.”

 _She’s really cute._ Volkner couldn’t help his thoughts as he took the basket from you. There was a soft smile on your lips and he murmured, “Thanks [Name].”

“Yeah! Of course!” you quickly blurted out only to look away. _That small smile… ah man, it was so cute._ You glanced back at him, only to see him appreciatively looking over the treats and you opened your mouth to say one more thing, but the announcement bell signalling the next match elicits a groan from you instead.

He glanced at you and asked, “You should probably get back, no?”

“I should,” you frowned and recalled Espeon into her pokeball. You gave him a wry smile and said, “It was nice meeting you and battling you, Volkner.”

“And I, you,” he reciprocated your sentiments and extended a hand. You glanced down at it confused and he added, “I’ll see you later at Sunyshore City then, [Name].”

Your eyes widened and you smirked, “You can bet on it.”

***

“You took longer than I expected,” Volkner teased as you stepped into the last room. You were thoroughly exhausted and whined, “What’s wrong with your gym?”

“I got bored waiting for you so I revamped the mechanics, you didn’t like it?”

You refrained from grumbling, and instead mumbled, “Geez, someone had too much free time on their hands.”

“I haven’t had an interesting challenger since the last time I went up against you. So show me [Name]!” Volkner’s voice had a hint of excitement and eagerness in it as he unclipped his first pokeball. He pointed it at you and grinned, “Show me the fruits of your journey in Sinnoh!”

“Demanding, aren’t you?”

“You bet,” he laughed as he lowered his hand. Your eyes widened ever so slightly and you smirked, “What do you want to bet on?”

“Hmm,” he contemplated it. _What can possibly go wrong if I ask her out on a date?_ He glanced at you and did a quick scan of your appearance. You were still the same woman he had met at the exhibition, filled with confidence and determination, yet still easily flustered and quite adorable. He had heard of your adventures on the news as you swept through Sinnoh with your harsh battle strategies, yet he also witnessed the growth of your beauty when you competed in Super Contests with your Pokemon.

The small spark of interest that started from a battle grew into a full blown infatuation that consumed most of his thoughts whenever he wasn’t renovating Sunyshore City or facing challengers.

 _What’s there to lose?_ He shrugged lightly before making the bold statement, “If I win, we go on a date.”

He almost laughed at the way your cheeks immediately turned pink, but it’d be a lie to say you weren’t interested in him after the exhibition match. He was a great trainer, and a really good friend as he occasionally sent you messages on where to go for cheap rest stops while staying in Sinnoh. And it certainly didn’t help your poor heart that he was just so handsome too. You pouted and muttered, “And if I win?”

“I’ll take you out on a date,” he smirked as your cheeks turned a shade darker and he asked, “So?”

“W-Well, the terms sound good to me, I’ll bet on it.”

“Perfect,” he laughed as he extended his hand towards you. You hesitated just a bit, but as soon as your hand grabbed his, he smiled, “I look forward to tonight, [Name].”

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: Hi this was mostly Pokemon battle based with snippets of Volkner and Reader trying to read the other person’s mind while simultaneously checking each other out. I’m so sorry.


End file.
